Towing Path Topics Newsletter of the Inland Waterways Association Lancashire & Cumbria Branch
May 2020
DISCLAIMER The views expressed in Towing Path Topics are not necessarily those of The Inland Waterways Association (IWA) or of its North West Region or of the Lancs and Cumbria Branch. They are, however published as being of interest to our members and readers. Nothing printed may be construed as policy or an official announcement unless so stated. The Association accepts no liability for any matter in this newsletter. No reproduction is permitted without acknowledgment. Cover: The Tramway Bridge, Preston (see page 22)
Photograph acknowledgements: Peter Jones Chris McFarlane The editor
Copy date for next edition 15th August 2020
The editor retains the right to edit any article or letter submitted for publication. Editor: David Faulkner 22 Moorland Road, Langho, Blackburn BB6 8EX Tel. 01254 249265 Email david.faulkner@waterways.org.uk
Inland Waterways Association
Registered office: Island House, Moor Road, Chesham HP5 1WA Registered as a charity (No. 212342) 2
Editor’s comment With all planning for future events more or less on hold we wondered whether to issue a May edition but hopefully you will find enough of interest. You will not receive this in the usual printed format as the printer is closed and IWA office staff are working from home but I hope you enjoy it anyway. If you are on lockdown like most of us you might now have the time to read it. You might even have the time to send an article or letter or photograph for the September edition. (Please) There’s plenty of mud this time—the first furlong restoration of the Northern Reaches of the Lancaster Canal and repairs to Arley Aqueduct on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal. I receive the regular CRT emails about navigation and towpath restrictions and thought I would go along to see what was happening at Arley. How they know where to start when looking for a leak is beyond me. (Perhaps a subject for a CRT talk at a social evening or a webinar, Wendy.) For the first time I have included a little bit of news about the Forth & Clyde Canal Society. We have several Scottish members of the branch but I hope it is of interest to everyone. The various canal societies will be suffering a significant loss of income at the moment. Why not use the price of a meal you can no longer go out for to subscribe to them or make a donation? Let us hope that there is no lasting damage to waterway organisations, businesses or the waterways themselves. There will probably be a set back in our attempts to control Himalayan balsam unless we are allowed out in time. We could probably manage it, keeping 2 metres apart. I’ve been told to stay in until 30th June so it’s back to the jobs list …. Stay safe . David Faulkner 3
Chair’s Report for TPT April 2020 Welcome to the chair’s report for Towing Path Topics, this will not be the report I expected to write!
Normally at this time of the year I would be wishing you all a good summer with lots of boating and canal based activities, I would also be telling you about the events we have planned for the rest of the year. But as you know life has changed for all of us so I will start by saying I hope you are all keeping safe and well and have everything you need and that we can all get back to a kind of normal before too much longer. The year started off well, we had our branch social meeting in January and the weather was ok so we had a good turnout unlike last year when the January meeting had to be cancelled. The speaker was Paul Hindle, Chairman of the Manchester Bolton Bury Canal Society and he talked about the MBBCS through time. A couple of days before the social meeting I attended an All Party Parliamentary event at the Houses of Parliament, this was organised by IWA with the purpose of encouraging MPs to join the All Party Parliamentary Waterways Group but it was also an opportunity to meet other members and officers of the IWA and other waterways groups as well as MP’s. You will have read in ‘Waterways’ that the new APPWG has been set up and has some good members. Then in February there was a walk on the Lancaster Canal and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal near Wheelton, this was a Lancaster Canal Trust event but several of our members went including me and it was led by Nigel Hardacre who is a member of IWA and often attends our social meetings. Nigel had done a lot of research and had a lot of interesting information about the location to give us. There are plans to run the walk again as part of the Heritage Open Days in September but we shall have to wait and see. Also in February we held our AGM followed by a talk about the Ribble Rivers Trust. We held our branch committee meeting early March and you will be pleased to know that all the officers were re-elected; we held it early because I was going on holiday at the end of the month but like a lot of everyone’s plans that did not happen. On Saturday the 7th of March Audrey Smith and I attended the Leeds and Liverpool Canal Society AGM by special invitation. We 4
presented the Marsh Award to Freda Childs their Chair. You will remember that the Marsh Award was reported on in the January Towing Path Topics and it was actually presented at Greenwich but Freda wanted us to present it at the AGM to make it a bit special for her members. We spent a lot of time in the early months of this year organising events, and then spent a lot of time postponing and cancelling things! We had planned some walks which we will try to hold later this year and we were looking at a Balsam Bash with Friends of Haslam Park. An appearance at Country Fest with lots of volunteers to help will now have to wait until next year. We were planning a lock wind and a branch trip to Standedge Tunnel plus stalls at Burscough Heritage weekend and Scarisbrick Marina Festival, all sadly cancelled. I was also going to cancel the social evenings in March and April however head office had other ideas and they persuaded us to have our meetings online and I am very pleased they did as the meetings have been a success and have drawn quite a big number of attendees. Thanks to Carrie House, Project Officer for the Stainton Project and Bill Froggatt, Heritage Advisor for CRT for agreeing to speak and thanks to Gemma Bolton from head office for steering us through all the technical issues. Carrie’s talk attracted 22 attendees although it was only organised at short notice and Bill Froggatt’s talk attracted 35 people, more than we usually get at our “real” social meetings, some of the attendees were people we don’t normally see as they live too far away, some were old friends who haven’t been to our meetings for a while, some were not known to us and some were members who usually attend. Maybe there is a role for these kind of meetings after life goes back to normal.
Since the lockdown in March I have attended virtual meetings with Lancaster Canal Trust and with IWA Region. I have also attended a virtual meeting with CRT together with other IWA branch chairs in our region, so the work is going on in the background. None of us know when things will start to return to normal. As soon as we can we will be back organising events and getting back on with our programme of activities, keep an eye on the IWA website for all the latest news. 5
One thing which was organised before the lockdown was the branch programme for September 2020 to April 2021, let’s hope that happens but we will have to wait and see. (See pages 34 & 35 )
I would like to use this opportunity to thank all the members of the branch committee who assist me in running the branch; I couldn’t do it without them. I would also like to thank IWA Head Office for all the help and support they have given especially over the last few weeks. That is not just in helping our branch but also in keeping members involved and thinking of new ways to keep us informed, as well as carrying on with lots of IWA business. I will make my usual plea for more committee members, the more members we have the more we can do, if anyone is interested in joining the committee please let me or one of the other committee members know, we are in particular need of a sales officer and a planning officer. It is very sad that we cannot use the waterways as we would like at the moment but I am sure we all recognise the importance of staying safe. This is a difficult time for all of us, boaters are frustrated that they can’t get to their boats, those who live on their boats cannot move except for essential reasons and businesses which rely on the canal are seeing their incomes plummet or stop altogether. I am pleased that IWA is working with DEFRA and CRT to lobby government on behalf of those businesses. There have been reports of lots more activity on the towpath, a big increase in walkers and cyclists, all recognising the value of the green space of the waterways often in an urban setting. I know this hasn’t been without its problems but anything which increases the public’s appreciation of the waterways has got to be a good thing. I wish you all well and hope that you stay safe and that we are all back to enjoying our waterways again before too much longer. Wendy Humphreys.
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Report from the Region Chairman Not a lot to report at present, of course, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. During the recent sunny April, there could be few better places to be than on the waterways, whether on a boat or other mode of transport. It was not to be and probably won’t be for some time yet. A dismal summer, indeed, if that proves to be the case. However, IWA continues at Branch, Region and National level as the increasing use of online communication “grows like Topsy�! Branches around the country are operating meetings and webinars to great effect and there is a much to be said for the enjoyment of discussion or entertainment with a glass in hand. Your National Trustees met in late April - by ZOOM - and there was much to talk about. Foremost on our agenda was the replacement process for our Chief Executive Officer as Neil Edwards retires this summer. Clearly the conventional selection process is constrained by COVID-19 but a small sub-committee is urgently considering the options. These may include hiring an interim CEO or alternatively asking our senior staff team to fill the gap. We discussed the parameters for future Trustee candidates. An organisation like IWA has financial, legal, management and personnel responsibilities as well as the care and interests of our members and the infrastructure of the waterways. And we lack some of the skills necessary for those tasks. So we are exploring the gaps and looking for new blood. An information pack for prospective candidates is available on the website. Another concern is the livelihoods of those businesses who depend on the canals, their users and tourists. Many have no money coming in and they cannot survive indefinitely. What role can we play? Please contact your local MP and Council to make this point as strongly as you can otherwise there will be little to enjoy and use after the crisis has passed. Stay safe and well.
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Lancaster Canal Trust Silver Propeller LCT were delighted that the Northern Reaches of the Lancaster Canal have been included in the IWA Silver Propeller Challenge. The qualifying location for the purposes of the Silver Propeller Challenge is the northern limit of navigation at Stainton or Mattisons Bridge where the trip boat runs to. For more information about the Silver Propeller Challenge see the IWA website www.waterways.org.uk First Furlong Work on the First Furlong has had to be suspended because of the Coronavirus, a cause of great frustration especially as the end is so close and the weather has been so good, however some background work and planning still goes on so that work can commence as soon as the all clear is given. Boat Operations The trust has a new boat manager, Ian Treanor who is also an IWA member as are several LCT members. The boat team were planning extra trips this year, but Covid-19 has curtailed that. The team is looking for extra members to help either as boat crew – full training and certification given - or as shore crew. Contact Ian Treanor if you’re interested on 07504 710351. Buy a Block appeal The Buy a Block appeal has closed, (although the Trust will not refuse to accept any further donations!), the amount raised was nearly £14,000 which has covered the cost of the blocks. The Trust is currently looking for another fund raising challenge. Lancaster Canal Trust events for 2020 The trustees of Lancaster Canal Trust were putting together a series of events for 2020, building on the success of the bicentenary year, however like all organisations they have had to put a hold on events until further notice. To find out about events when they can eventually go ahead and other news about the Trust you should check the website: www.lctrust.co.uk 8
A couple of events did take place before the lockdown: Feb Walk On February the 1st LCT held a walk on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and part of the Lancaster Canal at Wheelton, this was led by an LCT Trustee, Nigel Hardacre and was a similar walk to the one organised by IWA for the Region Social Event last year. About 20 people turned up for the walk and it was a lovely day for February, Nigel had done a lot of research and was able to tell walkers about the history of the canal and the local area. (See pages 26 & 27) March Social Meeting This went very well, more than 30 people turned up to listen to the news on the First Furlong and other Lancaster Canal Trust news. It was held at the Longlands Hotel in Tewitfield. Future events which will hopefully go ahead: AGM—date now changed from the 21st July to 13th October; we all hope that we can hold such meetings by then. Paul Rodgers IWA National Chairman had agreed to speak on the 21st of July and LCT is hoping he will be able to speak in the 13th of October but that hasn’t been confirmed yet. The AGM will be held at the Longlands Hotel at 7.30pm. Restoration showcase—the Chester & Merseyside Branch of IWA is hosting a Restoration Showcase to be held over the weekend of 22nd and 23rd of August. This is building on the success of last year’s event at Liverpool which Lancaster Canal Trust attended. This year’s event will be held at Anderton Boat Lift and there will be lots going on. Lancaster Canal Trust will be there giving a presentation and will have a stand. Planning is in its early stages and we hope it will happen, watch the IWA website for further news.
And an event which was sadly cancelled not postponed. Country Fest — Lancaster Canal Trust share our disappointment that this has been cancelled, they have purchased two new white gazebos, one having a map of the national canal system covering the whole of one wall and were looking forward to using them. They hope that the Westmorland County Show will go ahead in September but it is impossible to know at this stage. Wendy Humphreys 9
Lancaster Canal Trust (taken from Robin Yates’s April e-news)
First Furlong: In March a main weekend working party patched areas of blocks in the bed that had lifted due to the pressure of water trapped beneath the liner. In the main this was achieved by resetting the blocks. This was carried out over a large part of the affected area and a couple of holes in the lining were repaired.
Brash and larger timber was moved from the off bank. A good seal has been obtained on the Stop Planks apart from a failure of part of the bottom plank EPDM foam strip. This requires a change to the bottom plank foam strip which needs plank removal. Pending this the bottom plank will be backed by a temporary timber strip. Other refinements to EPDM foam sealing are required. The pumps have now been turned off and the canal will be allowed to fill naturally as a first test. Of course, having worked to reline the cut in some atrocious weather over the last few months now that we would be happy for some it hasn’t rained for over a week! Towpath Trail:–Contractors have been at work clearing and levelling the track from Wellhead Lane to Br 173. They’ve also cleared an area at the Wellhead Lane end as a site area. There was concern it would affect the 10K run planned for the end of April if work was not completed as scheduled but that, of course, is no longer an issue. The contractors are off-site and the run has had to be cancelled for the time being. Dredging and clearance of the Stainton to Millness section of the canal by CRT contractors has been completed and the team has moved on to the Ribble Link. Hincaster: Plans to continue walling have had to be put on hold—both our group and Carrie House’s CRT volunteers, who have done a superb job rebuilding the wall, virtually from the ground up, on the ramp leading to Bridge 173. 10
For information, below are the details of free dry stone walling courses that had been planned before the lockdown. The dates are no longer relevant but I have included them to show the spread over days of the week. Carrie intends to start them again when we are allowed to play out once more. If you register your interest I’m sure Carrie will be happy to send you details when available. (Ed Beginner’s Dry Stone Walling (2-day course)
Dates: April 2nd & 3rd 2020 (Thu/Fri) or June 13th & 14th 2020 (Sat/Sun) or August 24th & 25th 2020 (Mon/Tues) Time: 9:30am-5pm Venue: Dry Stone Walling Association, Lane Farm, Crooklands, Milnthorpe, Cumbria. LA7 7NH. Instructor: Philip Dolphin Course content: You’ll learn how to dismantle and rebuild a wall, under the guidance of an accredited master craftsman. Health and safety principles will also be covered. Additional information: Bring own lunch and a hot drink. Participants should come equipped with sturdy footwear (steel toe capped if possible), safety gloves, warm clothes and waterproofs. How to book: Email me at carrie.house@canalrivertrust.org.uk or call/text on 07786 683759. Note that you must be able to attend both days. All the best, Carrie House Project Officer – Community Engagement
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(ethylene propylene diene monomer—but you all knew that, Ed) 11
First Furlong
Stop planks and clearing mud from trench below the gabions
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Looking towards the B172 and the bridge with the stop planks
Looking in the opposite direction. The wall of gabions is bottom right Stop Press In his latest e-news Robin reports “the FF is currently holding the best part of a metre depth of water and monitoring is showing that losses are compatible with CRT requirements. Great news indeed!“ 13
Lancaster
Canal & River Trust, Cumbria County Council, IWA, Kendal Town Council, Lancs County Council, Lancaster Canal Trust
Canal
Regeneration Partnership
Following my decision to stand down as Chair of the Partnership I am sorry to report that a suitable replacement has not been forthcoming yet. Clearly we cannot advertise and/or interview until the current Covid-19 “lockdown� is lifted so Robin Yates has agreed to take on the role of Acting Chair from July till the end of the 2020 and in the meantime I have agreed to stay as Chair until July. The impact of Covid-19 has made it impossible for us to take any aspect of our current workload forward for the following reasons: County, District, City and Town Councillors are rightly focussed on other priorities. Some of our individual partners have either been asked to work from home or have been redeployed to support other areas such as Social Services. The majority of CRT staff in the NW Region were furloughed on 17th April until 31st May at the earliest, as were their contractors. This means that the repairs to Stainton Aqueduct remain unfinished. The NHLF Project Officer, Carrie House, was furloughed by CRT on 31st March until 30th May at the earliest. This means that all Community Engagement work, planning for the Kendal Torchlight event and development work re branding and interpretation has been brought to a halt. The proposed Aqueduct 10K had to be cancelled and Jogging Pals organised a virtual run to replace it. I would like to thank Carrie for working with staff at IWA office to re-present her proposed talk to the local IWA Branch in late March and deliver it on-line. There have 14
been many very positive comments regarding her initiative and also the impact of her work within Stainton, Hincaster, Sedgewick and Kendal. IWA and Lancaster Canal Trust members are required to observe all the Gov directives re social distancing so LCT work-parties are not able to continue. Meanwhile IWA is leading the way with Webinars and frequent updates to its members. At the present time Morecambe Bay Partnership continue to provide active Project Manager services to LCRP but clearly that may change at any time.
It does seem ironic that we are having such beautiful weather during April this year. As a rule it is an unpredictable, wet and windy month and yet here we are, with beautiful sunshine and high temperatures, unable to do anything on the ground other than in our own gardens! Audrey Smith - 24.04.2020
LCRP have a new website: www.lcrp.org.uk I suggest you use the correct address if you want to visit the site. Just googling LCRP takes you to the Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue and Protection charity. You can adopt a chimp if you wish but probably not your intention when you started your search. Ed
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Arley Aqueduct near Standish I thought it might be interesting to illustrate just one of the CRT navigation notices that they send out by email. It shows the difficulty of repairing a leak on an aqueduct, where do you start? Original message: Please be advised navigation is closed between Bridge 63, Red Rock Bridge and Bridge 64, Arley Bridge on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal due to a leak at Arley Aqueduct. The local team have implemented temporary measures until the dams can be installed to enable our team to investigate further and carry out a repair. Update on 31/01/2020: The dams have been installed onsite and investigations are well underway onsite at Arley Aqueduct. We anticipate the repairs will take a minimum of 4 weeks and an update will be provided Friday 28 February 2020. Update on 25/02/2020: Works to repair the leak at Arley Aqueduct have progressed well, however due to the recent weather conditions, our contractors have experienced a slight delay. An update will be provided Friday 6 March 2020. Update on 06/03/2020: During the final stages of the repair at Arley Aqueduct, a new leak has appeared in the aqueduct abutment wall. Additional grouting is underway to stem the leak, however this has resulted in a delay in reopening the navigation. We anticipate the additional works will take 2 weeks to complete. An update will be provided Monday, 16 March 2020. Update on 16/03/2020: We are in the final stage of the repair at Arley Aqueduct on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal. Repairs are ongoing with the Ground Penetrating Survey taking place today and relining and testing scheduled later this week. An update will be provided Monday 23 March, with hope that the dams can be removed the same day. And they were. 16
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Adjacent to the canal near Arley aqueduct is the course of Wigan Golf Club with its rather grand clubhouse surrounded by a moat (!).
A pair of black swans was a pleasant surprise
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Canal dualling scheme On April 1st CRT released brief details of an experimental scheme in Burnley. A shallow waterway running parallel with the Leeds & Liverpool Canal will be available for the use of kayaks and canoes. This will eliminate the conflict that can happen when such craft meet larger boats.
A CRT spokesperson said: “the scheme is the first in the country. It was felt that the North-West was an ideal location because of the prevailing weather conditions. It’s early days yet but initial signs are encouraging. Although it is the beginning of the season and we haven’t actually had any canoeists, the local ducks love it which is always a good indicator.” No information was available about water supply in the event of an unlikely dry spell.
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Tramway Bridge The bridge that carried the Lancaster Canal tramway across the River Ribble, next to Avenham Park, Preston. More recently a footpath and cycleway.
As mentioned in previous editions the bridge has been condemned by Lancashire County Council as unsafe and currently it is closed. It is owned by Preston City Council who are currently unwilling to commit to repairs or replacement. Friends of the Old Tramroad Bridge have been campaigning to save it; you can follow the arguments and latest news on their Facebook page. During the floods and very high water levels at the beginning of the year, Storm Ciara and others, the bridge withstood the onslaught of water and debris. On Facebook you can see photographs of very large tree trunks wedged on the supports and even the carcass of an unfortunate Friesian calf hanging from one of the cross members.
Although some of the deterioration in the reinforced concrete members looks dramatic, there are some people that argue that many parts are not critical to the structural integrity of the bridge.
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Forth & Clyde Canal Society The society is very active, including 3 trip boats. Most activities on hold at the moment of course. They have a good website which is worth visiting – www.forthandclyde.org.uk .
In their spring 2020 edition of ‘Canal News’ (available on the website), there is an interesting article about the difficulties of removing a steel rope that had wrapped round the propeller during one of their Santa cruises on their boat ‘Voyager’. Not what you want with 30+ passengers including children of course, plus Santa and an Elf. They mention a visit from Bill Oddie last October making a new TV series ‘Barging Britain: Then and Now’ to be shown this year. (I have looked this up on t’internet. Ricochet TV are making a series for Channel 5 of a tour along The Forth & Clyde, The Leeds & Liverpool and Grand Union Canals. Bill Oddie, Jennie Bond, Anne Diamond and Pete Waterman live aboard 2 ‘iconic barges’ travelling backwards and forwards through time. Ed)
Leeds and Liverpool Canal Society Another society with its busy 2020 season suspended. The spring 2020 edition of their newsletter ‘Clogs & Gansey’ includes fascinating interviews conducted by Norman Walls with old L&L boatmen plus other historical information.
The society’s website (which is being updated) is www.llcs.org.uk Better still why not join one or both? They need the money at this time, . Ed 23
Seen anything like it?
Janet Dunning has sent the above photograph.
“It is a while since we came across this counter-balance weight on the gate paddle of a lock on the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal. It would be interesting to know if anyone has come across anything similar elsewhere in this country.�
If you have seen any similar paddle gear please contact the editor (page 2).
If, like Janet, you have come across any interesting photographs or old articles during your lockdown tidying please send them in. Ed
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CROSSWORD Answers to Tony Dunning’s crossword printed in the January edition
A B S E E W D A B R A D E P L A N E T A I T I N C S C U T T E C T R A M U V M T S A R T E A G A P E A A C E I C E N R U S T E A R C A G E L G U S L A G Y E S W A R E A R O A E G U G L I F Y G L A D L Y E T O N E R E Uglify? No wonder I didn’t get it. Thanks anyway Tony, it kept me occupied for a morning (off and on) during the lockdown Ed “Thinks”: to lock down suddenly has a new meaning to us canal types. 25
LCT/IWA Walk 1st February 2020 The 6 mile circular walk started at the Top Lock pub where we had the chance to have breakfast or just a hot drink. We walked down Wheelton Locks to the junction with the Lancaster Canal. Nigel showed us photographs of the old brewery which was on the opposite side at that point. Along the arm we reached the current limit of navigation with Nigel Hardacre showing more old photos. Further on we came to the 2 tunnels, one of which we walked through along the towpath.. We had lunch at where the water now ends in a little park at Whittle-le-Woods. Then we headed for open country passing an old lime kiln which originally used limestone from Carnforth and coal from Wigan (hence the ‘black & white’ canal) and St Helen’s Holy Well, an ancient spring reputed to have healing properties. We climbed to the viewpoint near the hamlet of Top o’the Lane before returning to the L&L Canal and back to the Top Lock. A splendid and informative walk on a beautiful winter Saturday. 26
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Summary of minutes of Branch AGM 27 Feb 2020 Apologies: from 9 members Present: 12 members and Helen Smith (Speaker). Minutes of the AGM held on 28th February 2019 in the St Chad’s Parish Centre, Whittle-le-Woods, Chorley: Proposed and seconded and accepted as a true record. Matters rising: There were no matters arising Chairman’s report (Wendy Humphreys): see Appendix 1 Regional Chairman’s report: (Sir Robert Atkins): see Appendix 2 Treasurer’s Report: see Appendix 3. David reported a loss of £2,041. We again contributed £2,250 to LRCP towards the cost of a project officer. The raffle held at the social meetings pays for hire of the room and speakers’ expenses. The surplus from the Trail Boat Festival had been divided between LCT’s “buy a block” appeal, WRG (in appreciation of their help at the festival) and branch funds. Audrey Smith continues to oversee the sale of L&L and Liverpool link plaques which, as well as contributing to branch funds, is a useful PR exercise. Thanks to Ruth Symonds for donations from her plant sales. The balance of branch funds was £6,138 on 31/12/2019 which includes £1,744 in Northern Reaches fund. Election to the committee: Under the three year rule no committee members were due for re-election. Any other business: David Faulkner spoke about the IWA 500 club which costs £12 per year for a number and contributes to IWA funds. Half the money raised is given out as prizes in a monthly draw. There being no other business the meeting closed at 7.55pm. Names have been removed because of GDP Regs. If you want a copy of the appendices contact the editor. NB Re 500 club mentioned above, since the meeting I’ve won £254, 2nd prize in the February draw! Ed If you want to join and support IWA contact: Lorraine Carter, Secretary Club 500’ 56 Oakdene Drive, Surbiton, Surrey KT5 9NH Tel 020 8337 2276 email: lorraehelen@gmail.com
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Lockdown jokes My wife called out from the other room and asked if I ever got stabbing pain in my chest like someone has a voodoo doll of me and is sticking pins in it. I replied no. She responded, how about now? ***************** Cycled to the local shop for a bottle of gin so we didn’t run out during the lockdown. As I put it in my basket I thought, what if I fall off my bike and break it? So I drank it all outside the shop. Good thing I did, I fell off the bike 7 times on the way home. ****************** At 7.45am today at a supermarket that opened at 8.00 for oldies only, a young man came from the car park and tried to push in at the front of the queue. An old lady beat him back to the car park with her walking stick.
He returned and tried to push in again but an old man punched him to the ground and rolled him away. As he approached the queue for the 3rd time he said “If you don’t let me unlock the door you’ll never get in”. ************* I’m thinking of taking this wine box back to complain. It says once opened it will last for 6 weeks. It only lasted 3 days. **************** I’ve got my supermarket delivery slot at last. I’ve ordered turkey, mince pies and crackers.
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Branch programme 24th September: Paul Rodgers IWA National Chairman Paul was elected to the role of National Chairman in November 2019, he has a wealth of business and volunteering expertise He hopes to use those skills to help IWA promote and regenerate the waterways Paul will talk to us about his role and his plans for IWA. 29th October: Diane Rollin Diane is an ecologist in the Canal and River Trust NW Region Environment team and has worked for the Trust for over 4 years. The area she deals with is the Lancaster Canal and the Leeds & Liverpool Canal up to the Yorkshire border. “Bats on our Waterways, featuring Daubentons”. This will include an introduction to bats, anatomy, detection, roosts etc. then a section on case studies focusing on the challenges faced when dealing with bridge/structure repairs containing a Daubentons bat roost. 26th November: David Lowe In 1970 after numerous hire boat holidays David started a pleasure and freight boat business and soon some 10,000 tonnes a week of freight was being handled on the northern and east midlands waterways The IWA has awarded him the Bulkeley-Johnson Salt on two occasions, the Alfred Ritchie Cockerel for the best working boat at the 1981 National Rally, and more recently the Richard Bird Medal. A Director of Humber Barges Ltd, he is Chairman of the Commercial Boat Operators Association, sitting on a number of waterway groups. David is licensed by the MCA as a Boatmaster (freight and passenger), and is a member of the Canal & River Trust’s Freight Steering Group, the dredging and stoppage sub- groups, and a past member of its Yorkshire & North East Advisory Board. “Apollo: Mission Impossible or a dream realised”. The talk will cover how David became interested in canals and waterways, early canal holidays, involvement with IWA, and finally setting up and running what became a large and very successful waterways business, operating passenger and freight boats I 10th December: Christmas Meal at the Hoghton Arms, check their Festive Menu later in the year and let Wendy Humphreys know if you want to book a place. 30
28th January: Video Evening This will give us an opportunity to see some old, interesting videos about canal history.
25th February: AGM Followed by a nostalgia evening, led by Audrey Smith OBE, IWA Vice President and past National Chairman. 25th March: Alison Smedley Alison is IWA Campaigns & Public Affairs Manager she has worked for the Association for over 8 years. Alongside her staff role, Alison has been an active volunteer with IWA for 27 years, including 7 years as a trustee in the early 2000’s, and is currently Deputy Chairman of the North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch. ”IWA Campaigns.” An overview of IWA’s current national campaigns and how the campaigns team can support branches with local campaigns. 29th April: William Froggatt Bill is a heritage adviser in the Canal & River Trust North West Region Heritage and Environment team and has worked for the Trust for almost six years. His role is to help the Trust to protect the historic significance of the built heritage on the canals and waterways in Lancashire, specifically the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, the Lancaster Canal and the historic docks in Liverpool. He has a keen interest in the history of the waterways. “The Historic Docks of Liverpool”. Liverpool had the first commercial wet dock in the world, and the docks there grew to be one of the most important docks in the world. This talk will look at why and how the docks developed here, and at the parallel development of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in Liverpool. Venue We meet at St Chad’s Parish Centre, 235 Town Lane, Whittle-leWoods, Chorley PR6 8AJ. There is ample parking in the car park.
The parish centre has a very pleasant meeting room and a bar. You are welcome from 7.00pm for a drink and a chat, the meetings start at 7.30pm. 31
Branch Committee Chairman
Wendy Humphreys Darwen
07763 561572 01254 703553
Vice-chairman
Tony Dunning Egremont
07730 113894 01946 820875
Secretary
Maralyn Nott Kirkham David Faulkner Langho
07912 249265 01254 249265
Treasurer & Newsletter editor Membership secretary
Janet Dunning Egremont Vacant
01946 820875
Publicity
Audrey Smith Wheelton
01257 274440
Sales
Vacant
Social secretary
See chairman
Lancaster Canal Regeneration P’ship
Audrey Smith & Wendy Humphreys
Leeds and Liverpool Canal
Audrey Smith
Lancaster Canal Trust
Vacant
Wild over Water & Web Master
Janet Dunning
Region Chairman (ex officio)
Sir Robert Atkins
Environment & Planning
Email addresses are firstname.surname@waterways.org.uk You can write to us c/o the editor see page 2
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